Every day, teams go above and beyond to deliver complex projects, often facing pressure and uncertainty. Picture this: a stressed-out project manager looking at their exhausted team, unable to deliver a product on time and meeting expectations. Projects going off track, deadlines blowing up, and a sense of failure setting in—it’s a scenario that unfortunately resonates with many companies.
Alarming statistics confirm this reality. According to a Standish Group study, 42% of large projects following the Waterfall-model fail to meet initial expectations. The Waterfall-model, with its rigidity, can be a source of anxiety for teams, as it doesn’t easily adapt to changes. Imagine the disappointment, sadness, and fear teams experience when faced with these failures.
When it comes to non-scaled agile projects, only 18% fully achieve their goals in large organizations. A survey by mental wellbeing platform Yerbo reveals that nearly 42% of IT professionals experience high stress levels, frequently leading to burnout. These numbers reflect a dramatic reality: exhausted teams, stalled projects, a loss of confidence and motivation.
Fortunately, there is a solution to reduce stress, increase motivation, and improve project success: SAFe, the Scaled Agile Framework. A study by Scaled Agile, Inc. shows that adopting SAFe leads to a 75% reduction in time-to-market while guaranteeing 50% higher product quality. Additionally, teams working with SAFe report a 50% improvement in employee well-being and engagement, thanks to better collaboration and a more balanced workload.
How does large-scale commercial success enable team fulfillment with SAFe?
SAFe offers a flexible and collaborative approach that aligns the efforts of multiple teams and aligns them with common goals. Imagine a dynamic, collaborative team where members feel motivated, respected, and empowered to thrive in their work. That’s the vision that SAFe proposes.
Three key components of SAFe ensure high-performing results:
- Lean-Agile Leadership: Lean-Agile leadership is an essential pillar of SAFe. It encourages leaders to become supportive facilitators, coaching teams toward autonomy and encouraging proactivity. This approach promotes decentralized decision-making, cultivating a culture of continuous improvement and innovation within teams. Imagine leaders who inspire and motivate, who create an environment of trust where every team member feels empowered and committed to the project’s success.
- The Continuous Delivery Pipeline: This is a set of practices and tools that enable frequent exploration, integration, and deployment of products to the market. This approach ensures quick feedback, reduces time-to-market, and maximizes the relevance and quality of delivered products. Imagine teams working in sync, consistently delivering quality products, receiving fast and valuable feedback…
- Lean Portfolio Management: Lean portfolio management aligns the company’s strategy with operational execution using Lean principles and systems. It offers budgetary flexibility, allowing investments to be prioritized based on the value they bring to the company. Imagine teams working on truly strategic projects, aligned with the company’s vision, contributing to maximizing ROI.
Prerequisites for Implementing SAFe
The success of implementing SAFe is tied to the implementation of three crucial elements:
- Engaged and Visionary Leadership: For SAFe to fully integrate into the company’s culture and processes, it is crucial to involve leaders in the agile transformation. Visionary leadership that encourages innovation, continuous improvement, and collaboration is essential for SAFe to reach its full potential. To ensure a smooth transition, it’s important to identify “champions of change” within the company who can actively engage in promoting SAFe and motivating teams. Transparent and open communication is also essential for teams to understand the motivations and objectives of the agile transformation.
- Train Teams and Leaders through Leading SAFe Training: This training ensures a common understanding of SAFe principles and provides the necessary skills for effective implementation. The certification obtained is also recognized and valued in the market, adding credibility to certified professionals.
- Embrace the DevOps Mindset: The DevOps mindset is essential for the effective implementation of SAFe. DevOps automates processes and strengthens collaboration between development and operations teams. This synergy facilitates continuous and high-quality delivery, allowing for increased responsiveness to market demands. DevOps teams work together to improve processes, shorten development cycles, and increase deployment frequency, ensuring higher quality and greater customer satisfaction.
Project Success, Team Fulfillment: Embrace SAFe
SAFe offers a unique opportunity to transform your company into a place where teams are motivated, projects are successful, and results are exceptional commercially and humanely. Forget the sadness and fear; trust SAFe to guide you towards a brighter future.
With SCALIAN Academy, we offer the training that prepares you for the certifications: “Leading SAFe”, “SAFe for Teams”, and “Release Train Engineer”.
We are here to answer any questions you may have.
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